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  • Title

    Open-Source Resources for the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Telemetry Research Community

    Lead Cramer Fish Sciences
    Description There is a great deal of telemetry data amassed from studies in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta. It continues to grow every year with special studies and monitoring efforts. Multiple research priorities surrounding fish ecology in the Delta could be addressed, at least in part, by synthesizing the myriad telemetry data sets that exist; this work would benefit greatly from the centralization and standardization of data workflows surrounding telemetry research. With the guidance of a PIT Advisory Team, we plan to establish a collection of open-source, technology-agnostic, accessible resources to support a reproducible and transparent telemetry data workflow for researchers in the region. The workflow and resources do not invent new procedures, rather improve and standardize those already used by the telemetry research community. This will bring us in closer alignment with centralized, coordinated data workflows that have been successfully implemented in other regions and data communities. The final open-source set of resources will include a design and roadmap for implementing a central telemetry database and workflow, an R package for the preparation, QA/QC, and basic analysis of telemetry data, and a regional workshop offering training programs in the proposed telemetry data workflow.
    Science topics Chinook Salmon, Fish, Other species, Salmon migration, Steelhead Trout, Striped bass, Sturgeon
    Updated December 22, 2023
  • Title

    Developing a Delta Residents Survey: Understanding the Beliefs and Behaviors of Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta Residents on Natural Resource Management Challenges

    Lead California Sea Grant
    Description The Delta Residents Survey (DRS) was a household survey conducted in the Sacramento-San Joaquin Delta in Northern California in 2023 to better understand residents' attitudes on key social and environmental challenges in the region. The data were collected via a survey (available online through Qualtrics or as a print version), with survey invitations sent by mail to a random sample of 82,000 household addresses in the rural “Primary Zone” of the Delta (survey Zone 1), the suburban and urban “Secondary Zone” of the Delta (survey Zone 2) and Delta-adjacent “EJ Communities” in South Sacramento and South Stockton (survey Zone 3). Maps of the survey zones are available in project documentation and the Results Summary Report. The survey was available in English and Spanish. Over 2,300 responses were received, constituting a 2.9 percent response rate. The survey included 43 multiple choice and short response questions, broken up into five sections around key themes: Sense of place and way of life Regional priorities, concerns, and quality of life Environmental and climate change experiences, concerns, and policy preferences Civic engagement and good governance Demographics The research was conducted by a collaborative team of environmental social scientists across multiple research universities (UC San Diego, UC Davis, UC Berkeley, Oregon State University, and Sacramento State University) and was funded by the Delta Stewardship Council's Delta Science Program (a California State Agency). Significant community engagement and partnership efforts were carried out to improve the relevancy of survey questions and interpretation of data. Additional resources, including summary report of results and other research products using the data, are posted on our project website as they become available: https://ktomari.github.io/DeltaResidentsSurvey/. We also have a GitHub repository, where R scripts (and accompanying plain-text descriptions of the functions used that can be translated into other programming languages) are posted, which provide the easiest way for reading in the data and ensuring variable types are set correctly. We highly recommend using or referencing these scripts for the easiest and most accurate use of the data: https://github.com/ktomari/DeltaResidentsSurvey.
    Science topics None specified
    Updated December 20, 2023
  • Title

    White Sturgeon Telemetry Synthesis

    Lead Cramer Fish Sciences
    Description Acoustic telemetry studies are expensive and logistically demanding. A new study to tag and monitor 315 White Sturgeon would require a massive field effort by a large team, but by pooling and leveraging existing datasets, this sample size and analysis will be achieved at a fraction of the cost and effort. In recognition of the efficiencies gained by this approach, the Delta Stewardship Council’s Science Program lists the synthesis and analysis of existing telemetry datasets in Science Action Area (SAA) 2. This project directly addresses SAA 2 by capitalizing on existing White Sturgeon telemetry data through the synthesis of three existing large telemetry dataset to understand system-wide White Sturgeon movements. This contract will synthesize existing long-term acoustic telemetry datasets in order to address high priority research questions for the management of White Sturgeon in the San Francisco Estuary system. These questions include: 1. What is the periodicity of spawning migrations by tagged White Sturgeon, and how do these estimates compare to those from previous, single-basin studies? 2. What is the scope and variability of inter-basin movements exhibited by tagged adult White Sturgeon across years? 3. Is there individual fidelity to specific migration routes or sites within each river basin? 4. Do White Sturgeon migrating through the Yolo Bypass experience delays in reaching spawning grounds relative to fish using the mainstem Sacramento River or San Joaquin River routes? 5. Is the onset of upstream migration movement by individuals associated with a characteristic flow rate or event? This contract will serve as a model for future telemetry synthesis studies by adhering to best practices in scientific computing for reproducible, transparent research, and by making all parts of the data and analysis accessible to the broader Delta research community.
    Science topics Environmental drivers, Fish, Flows, White Sturgeon
    Updated February 1, 2024
  • Title

    Managing Agricultural Soils for Carbon and Water Benefits in the California Delta: Understanding Influences on Decision-Making and Practice Adoption of in-Delta Farmers.

    Lead University of California - Davis [UC Davis]
    Description This project investigated and analyzed the major factors contributing to decision-making and adoption of soil management practices by farmers in the delta. In this project, Rudnick applied a mixed-methods approach to better understand what drives farmers’ decisions. To collect these data, the fellow used semi-structured interviews with farmers and relevant agricultural stakeholders, and participant observations at a number of public meetings and grower outreach events, including water coalition meetings, farmer field demo days, UC Davis outreach days, industry group conferences.
    Science topics Agriculture, Urban development
    Updated February 26, 2024